Christmas Companions
by DORK DOG
Summary: The Doctor takes Rose to Southern California on Christmas Eve. Expecting everyone to be American, the human girl is surprised to meet a Scottish, ginger girl with the name of Amy Pond. Likewise, when Amy visits America with her Doctor, she doesn't expect to come across one of the Doctor's previous regenerations and his former companion. Two-Shot. First Doctor Who fanfic.


**Ello my fellow Whovians!**

**Here's a short two-shot about an idea I had for a Christmas story. Rose and Ten's portion will take place right before **_**Army of Ghosts **_**and **_**Doomsday, **_**so basically right before Rose gets left behind (sob!). Amy and Eleven's portion will take place shortly after **_**Cold Blood, **_**when Amy forgets Rory, and he "dies". **

**Rose and Amy are my two absolute favorite companions, with Rory coming at a close third. In fact, Rose and Ten are my absolute favorite pairing. Ever. Amy and Rory are my other favorite pair. I mean, he waits 2,000 years for her. **_**Two. Thousand. Years**_**. I don't understand how people think Amy and Eleven are a perfect pairing. They're family- literally. **

**Anyways, sorry for my mini rant.**

** Part Two will hopefully be posted in exactly one week on New Year's Eve. That seems like enough time to write another chapter, hehehe. Pardon me if I get characters OOC. I'm kinda new to the fandom, but I'll try my best. This is my first ever **_**Doctor Who**_** fanfiction, and my first non-OC story. Wow, that sounds sad.**

** Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Merry Christmas everyone! Allons'y! **

* * *

**Part One**

"So! Where are we off to next, Rose?"

The Doctor beamed across the TARDIS console at his faithful friend. Running a hand through his thick, dark hair, he pushed a few buttons on the console, trying to determine their next destination.

"How about… America," Rose giggled, brown eyes sparkling. "Twenty-First Century. Can you make it somewhere metropolitan?"

"You got it!" the Doctor cried, leaping backwards as he pulled a trigger. "San Diego, California, 2012. I've always loved California. Beautiful state, with almost every climate in the country. Allons'y!"

Rose laughed as the TARDIS jolted forward, taking them to their next destination. The blonde had never been to America before… well, except for New New York in the 51st Century. Boy, she would never be doing that again.

"How many times have you been to San Diego?" she inquired of the Doctor. He had to think about it for a moment.

"I really don't know," he replied. "More than once, I'm sure of that."

"Maybe going back will jog your memory," she grinned, feeling the TARDIS shudder and then stop beneath her feet. The familiar _VROOOMP _sound reached her ears, confirming that they were landing.

The Doctor sprinted towards the door, grabbing his brown trench coat on his way out. Rose followed close behind, pulling the top half of her thick, shoulder-length blonde hair back into a ponytail. It would most likely be warm, so she made a mental note to leave her gray sweatshirt in the TARDIS to don another time.

As she walked out the door to the Doctor's whimsical time-travelling machine, she turned around and glanced at the outside. From an external viewpoint, the TARDIS was merely a 1950's- style Police Call Box. It still blew her mind how a whole world could fit inside such a small space. The Doctor told her once that it was "Time Lord Science" and the inside was another dimension entirely. Rose could only nod and smile when he went off like this. Nearly every time the Doctor tried to explain things to her, she walked away having learned absolutely nothing at all. Still, she tried her best, and sometimes she could understand what he was saying.

The air was cool and overcast, contrary to what Rose had expected when the Doctor had said the word "California". The TARDIS had landed beside a sort of beachside restroom. Sea air whipped at her face, smelling of saltwater. Back in England, Rose had never been to an actual beach, with sand and surf. Jackie had brought her to some tide pools once, as a very young child. Rose had been fascinated with all the tiny creatures residing beneath the surface of the shallow waters. Jackie, however, was positively disgusted when her little six year old daughter brought her a small starfish in her tiny hand.

"Rose!" the Doctor's call jolted the nineteen year old out of her musings. There weren't many people on the beach, but the few who lingered near the sand were selling wares, or playing instruments to gain attention. Many carried signs which said things like, _Help to go to college _or _Money needed_. It tore at Rose's heart to see so many underprivileged people who seemed so talented.

The Doctor was talking to a young Hispanic woman, probably around Rose's age. The girl was trying to talk him into purchasing a hot, sweet churro made fresh. A fragrance of warm sugar and cinnamon wafted past their noses, and Rose felt her mouth water. She had always wondered what foreign victuals tasted like, and had heard about the rich spices and flavor of Mexican food from some of her friends who had traveled to America in the past. They claimed it was absolutely the most delicious food imaginable, and many of the hot peppers used in the cooking could make your nose run and eyes water.

"Excuse me, but what day is it?" Rose queried when the Doctor paused for a moment. The young woman laughed softly, brushing a strand of thick dark hair out of her brown eyes.

"You two sound as though you are a long way from home, no?" her rich, Mexican accent seeped through her words. "Today is _Nochebuena, _Christmas Eve."

"Thank you, ma'am," the Doctor grinned. "Merry Christmas! Or, rather, _Feliz Navidad_!"

"Same to you," the young woman still retained her grin. "Raquel." She extended her hand to the Doctor and Rose.

"Raquel," the Doctor seemed to taste the word. "Pleasure. I'm the Doctor, and this is Rose."

"Ello," Rose smiled, waving slightly.

"Well, Doctor and Rose," a mischievous gleam caught in Raquel's eye. "Are you going to buy a churro, or leave me here with my warm food?"

"Oh, yes," the Doctor rummaged through one of his coat pockets. He pulled out a small wad of cash, and handed it to the petite Hispanic girl. Her eyes widened, as did Rose's, at the sight of green, American dollars. "We'll take two please."

While Raquel began preparing the churros, Rose nudged the Doctor with her elbow. "Since when do you carry American cash in your trench coat pockets?"

The Doctor seemed taken aback. "I've always carried American currency with me, as well as British pounds. My pockets are bigger than you think."

Rose cocked an eyebrow. "Are they bigger in the inside, like the TARDIS?"

"As a matter of fact, they are," the Doctor winked childishly.

Raquel handed them their food. "_Muchos gracias, _Doctor and Rose. Please enjoy them."

"We will!" Rose called as the two of them turned away from the small stand. The churro was twisted in a sort of rope-like fashion, and deep fried till it was a light golden brown. The white paper around it guarded the warmth from coming out too quickly. Dusted with sugar and cinnamon, it emanated a warm, sweet, aromatic fragrance that was simply too much to bear.

As soon as Rose bit into the breaded dessert, she let out a groan of delight. It tasted exactly how she expected. Sweet, yet spicy.

"Do you like it?" the Doctor queried, nibbling on his pastry quietly.

Rose nodded. "Yeah, of course! Thanks, Doctor."

"Have you ever tried Mexican food before?"

"Nothing more than a bean burrito when I was little. It was nothing compared to real Mexican food, though."

"There's a first for everything," the Doctor told her. "And here you are, only a few miles north of the Mexico border."

"Are we really?" Rose raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I'll have to take you there sometime," the Doctor winked. He finished the snack and tossed his churro wrapper into a nearby trash bin.

As the two of them passed various shops along the street, one particular gift shop caught Rose's eye. The store logo read _Seaside Sunrise, _and within the windows, she could glimpse a wide variety of various trinkets. It was all decked out for Christmas, with festive red and green lights, as well as holiday-themed items up for sale. The windows were sprayed white, red, and green, with words expertly painted in, advertising a 20% off sale.

Whenever she had the chance, Rose loved to look through gift shops in the various places her and the Doctor visited, and purchase a trinket or two for her mum back home in London. She kept them in a small backpack the Doctor provided for her after their adventures with the Krilliatnes and Sarah Jane Smith. He presented it to her as a sort of peace offering, for making her go through the torture of pretending to be a school lunch lady.

"Hey, you go on ahead. I'll catch up with you," she told the Doctor. "I think I'm gonna do a bit of window shopping, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, sure, go ahead." he told her. "Just don't take too long."

"I won't," Rose grinned, stepping towards the shop. "See you in a bit!"

The Doctor waved to her absentmindedly before taking off down the boardwalk. He whistled a merry tune, staying in step with the song.

As Rose entered the small shop, the first thing she noticed was the smell of scented candles assaulting her nose. A large shelf near the front carried a wide variety of them, and she strode towards it, picking up a caramel colored candle and holding it up to her nose. The item carried a homey, aromatic scent of warm apple pie. Turning it around, she could see that it carried the exact title.

"Well what do you know," she laughed softly to herself. Picking up another candle, she lifted the lid. Instantly, a floral, tropical aroma wafted past her nostrils. This one read _Island Breeze, _and was a light, aquamarine color.

The scent reminded her of an island planet the Doctor brought her to once. She couldn't quite remember the name of the place, but an enormous flock of beautiful, blue and green birds resided in the trees. Unfortunately, the creatures were apparently carnivorous, so the Doctor and Rose only stayed there for about an hour.

"See you in a bit, Raggedy Man!"

Rose nearly leaped out of her skin at the sound of the thickly accented, Scottish voice, which was undoubtedly feminine. The last thing she would have expected wad to find another British girl in America- on Christmas Eve, no less.

"Be careful Pond! I'll meet you back here in a few hours!" an English accented man called back, and Rose could barely detect a hint of worry in his voice.

Slowly turning around, she perceived a very tall, ginger haired girl wink at an equally lanky man. The Scottish girl was model thin, and was dressed in black, jean shorts over thin, dark tights and brown cowboy-style boots. She donned a cranberry colored sweater under a brown leather jacket. Her long red tresses framed her dark eyes in wavy ringlets nearly to the middle of her back.

The man wore a brown tweed jacket over a pinstriped, red and white shirt. He was just as skinny as the girl, and sported a crimson bow-tie round his neck. His dark brown hair was gelled to one side of his head, revealing intense green eyes, which roved about the beach nervously. He didn't seem to notice Rose, though. Something about him seemed oddly familiar, yet completely foreign.

"Go on," the girl giggled. She didn't seem to be any older than Rose. "I'll be perfectly fine. What's the worst thing that could happen to me?"

"Fine, then," the man said to her. "But be careful."

"Stop worrying about me!" the ginger winked, and walked towards the shop. Rose couldn't help but notice the way she carried herself- very confident and independent. Her stature seemed to add to the impression, like she belonged on a runway instead of a cold, wintery beach.

The man turned and began to walk down the beach, but not without casting his friend a final, concerned glance. Rose could tell that it was not a romantic gaze, but more of a look someone might give their best friend if they were frightened for that person's safety. She had seen that expression in the Doctor's eyes many times before, so it was instantly recognizable.

As the girl stepped into the shop, she made a beeline to a rack of Christmas cards, grinning from ear to ear. She flipped through a few, laughing quietly as she read the words they contained.

Realizing that she was staring a little too much, Rose pretended to take especial interest in a jar containing a pumpkin-scented candle. It really did smell amazing, and she closed her eyes as she inhaled the fragrance.

After trying a few more candles, Rose moved onto a stand containing holiday themed jewelry. A pair of red and green earrings caught her eye, and she examined them with interest.

Suddenly, she felt a hand gently tap her shoulder. With a jolt of surprise, she whirled around to meet the face of the tall, Scottish, ginger haired girl.

"Ello!" the girl grinned, extending her hand, "I'm Amy Pond. I saw you glancing at me when I came in. Is there something you need?"

She talked so quickly, Rose could barely understand what she had said. It was too abrupt for her liking. Amy hadn't said her statement unkindly, nor had she spoken too cheerily. She just… said it. As though this sort of thing happened every day.

"I'm… um… Rose Tyler," she said nervously, with a sheepish smile. Rose shook Amy's hand, which was cool and soft. This tall, intimidating girl was starting to make her feel uncomfortable.

"Rose." Amy repeated the name quietly. "That's an interesting name."

"Thank you," Rose gave a half smile. "I wasn't meaning to stare. I was merely curious that there were two other people from my home country in California on Christmas Eve."

"Oh, right," Amy laughed. "Well, you see, my friend and I like to travel all around the world together. He actually makes rather good company- when he's not being a loon."

"Ah! I have a friend like that too!" Rose grinned, happy to find common ground with this total stranger. "He is rather loony, but I get used to it eventually."

"Tell me about it," Amy rolled her eyes. "Lately, he's constantly been worrying about me for some odd reason. I mean, more than usual. It's almost like he thinks I'm made of China or some weird thing like that."

"My friend doesn't do that to me very much," Rose mused. "Though he used to. I think it's because I've showed him that I can care for myself." She paused. "But why am I tlling all this to a stranger?"

Amy laughed. "I was just thinking the same thing."

Before Rose could respond, she heard a familiar voice call from the entrance to the shop.

"OI! Rose! I know where we're going to next!"

She turned to meet the Doctor's beaming face, his bright brown eyes shining.

"I'll be there in a minute!" she called, turning back to Amy, who was staring at the Doctor in surprise.

"Well, it was nice meeting you Amy Pond," Rose smiled, shaking her hand. Amy returned her attention to Rose.

"Ah, yes, nice meeting you too, Rose Tyler." Her green eyes glimmered as she spoke. "Goodbye!"

Rose waved as she ran out of the shop. The Doctor was waiting for her, a small book tucked under one arm. His hair was ticking out on end, more than usual, at least.

"Who was that you were talking to?" he inquired curiously.

"Oh, she was a lovely Scottish girl named Amy Pond," Rose explained. "She had a friend that travels around with her, kinda like us!"

"Amy Pond," the Doctor repeated. "What an interesting name. Ah well, we have more places to go. You'll never believe the planet I'm taking you to next. Allons'y!"


End file.
